September Reverie

It's September once again, and those of us who have lived through many Septembers may be feeling anxious and somewhat discomfited. The month after all has not been kind, historically, to the US and the Philippines. We cannot forget September 11, 2001 (Read Again: “9/11, Day of Days”) and we are reminded starkly this year of September 1972 when martial law was declared. Will this September bring about cataclysmic events, or will it be a benign one? We can only hold our collective breaths.

If you are planning a trip to the homeland, do include Baler in your itinerary. Known more famously as the hometown of the Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel Luis Quezon, Baler is the provincial capital of Aurora province northeast of Manila. Contributor Omar Paz writes about his visit to this emerging tourist destination in "Surf's Up in Baler."

In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Dr. Agnes Alikpala encounters a Filipina restaurateur about to open her own restaurant called Flavors of Manila. Meet her in our Pinoyspotting feature this week.

In Washington D.C., Contributing Writer Elizabeth Ann Quirino introduces Patrice Cleary and her Purple Patch DC restaurant, chosen one of the top 25 restaurants in the area in 2015.

For our Happy Home Cook recipe this week, we have another recipe from Louise Mabulo who we featured last week. This time, this young Filipino chef offers her unique take on baby back ribs.

Our Video of the Week is another CNN Philippines feature on The Story of the Filipino, this time focusing on musician Coke Bolipata.

Heroes

To commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Cry of Pugad Lawin (aka Cry of Balintawak) in 1896, which signaled the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against Spain, it's a good time to get to know better the hero of that hour, Andres Bonifacio. Here are "Seven Little-Known Facts About the Supremo," which we borrowed with permission from Filipiknow.net, the popular historical blog of Lui Batungbacal. 

Still on the subject of heroes, Read Again Robby Tantingco's tribute to the brave women of his forebears, "Why Women Rule Pampanga."

And for those seeking information on the heroes in their family, historical researcher Marie Silva Vallejo points the way. Marie has successfully done research on her father Saturnino Silva, a US Army soldier during World War II who valiantly led the Battle of Ising in Davao against the Japanese. The records are from the US National Archives and Marie is part of a massive digitization project that has made the records available to Filipino researchers.

Switching now to food, Contributing Writer Elizabeth Ann Quirino profiles Louise Mabulo, a 17-year-old Filipina chef who shares with us her own recipe for Kinilaw ng Tanigue Topped with Lechon-style Pork. Note: tanigue is Spanish mackerel. 

For fans of songwriter Jose Mari Chan, here's a treat for you, our Video of the Week. 

As you may have noticed, we have a new set of photos for our mastheads from Joni Ramos, a visual artist/photographer based in Santa Barbara, Pangasinan. Thank you, Joni, for adding color to our pages. 

Fateful August

While ancient Rome had its Ides of March, the Philippines has its Ides of August. Two history-changing tragedies occurred on the same date -- August 21 -- though 12 years apart: the assassination of Benigno Aquino and the bombing of Plaza Miranda during the Liberal Party's miting de avance before the 1971 elections, which led to the suspension of the writ habeas corpus (and, a year later, the declaration of martial law). For years it was believed that then-President Ferdinand Marcos carried out the Plaza Miranda carnage, but decades later, the true perpetrators were uncovered. Read Again journalist Gregg Jones' account of "The Ghosts of Plaza Miranda."

In 1983, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino was assassinated at the Manila International Airport (which now bears his name), an unspeakable crime that triggered the countdown to the end of the Marcos regime three years later. There have been so many accounts of that day, but the most poignant is the one written exclusively for Positively Filipino by Ken Kashiwahara, Ninoy's brother-in-law, who was with him on the plane when the ex-senator returned from exile. "Ninoy's Final Journey" is a must-read-again so we will never forget.

Vicente Tirona Paterno was one of the very few holdovers from the Marcos cabinet who made it to the Cory Aquino cabinet, a testimony to his competence and integrity. University of Honolulu-based professor and commentator Patricio Abinales reviews Paterno's autobiography, On My Terms, which came out shortly before the esteemed technocrat's death last year.

Another treat for travelers: contributor Jojo Sabalvaro-Tan's stories and sketches on Indonesia's island paradise, "Bali High."

Those seeking a sweet treat in Los Angeles are guided by our Contributing Writer Anthony Maddela to the B Sweet Dessert Bar of Fil-Am dessert creator Barbara Batiste. "A Filipino-Owned Dessert Oasis in LA" also gives us this week's Happy Home Cook recipe for the traditional sweet fave, Turon. 

Our Video of the Week is an eye-opener: The History of the Filipino in Korea, which is narrated in Filipino.